Muddy Slippers
by illumipel
Summary: She could wear dirt like sequins. It'd be nice if she realized that. Cheren/Touko


More Cheren/Touko because I think it is horribly cute and utterly neglected by the fandom. I am highly irritated by the lack of stories.

Stupid plot is stupid, but that's what you get from a story written during spare hours at work. I'd appreciate helpful criticism over flames if you spot any issues.

**_EDIT:_** Helpful reviews are helpful and I've edited this to somewhat better quality, mostly involving the parentheses, which upon reflection were a dumb idea.

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If your knees aren't green by the end of the day, you ought to seriously re-examine your life.  
**Bill Watterson**

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Cheren is always the first to arrive when any of them meet up.

It's nothing special, just something that he's noticed had developed over time. He would come early, not by much -fifteen minutes at the most- and even then only when he's particularly anxious, sit down at the intended location and wait. Touko would follow, arriving almost exactly on the agreed time, sometimes jogging sometimes not but still perfectly composed with a small grin. Bel was always late, showing up much later than intended, for she'd once again 'couldn't decide on an outfit,' running and smiling like crazy.

So when he reaches the park's fountain to see Touko already sitting there, expression normal but eyes oddly vacant, he instantly knows something is wrong.

He freezes in his tracks. Tsujara, ever loyally following behind him, promptly smacks into the back of his leg. He begins to voice protests to his master but stops when Cheren turns and kneels down next to the little pokémon, scooping him up into his arms and stroking his head.

"Sorry Tsujara, but I don't think it's a good idea to have our re-match with Touko and Mujimaru today."

For a moment, Cheren thinks that his cherished partner is going to resume complaining, but the pokémon nods against his hand and returns to his pokéball without a sound.

After all, friends don't need words.

A swift turn on his heel sends him off towards a nearby ice cream vendor, oddly alone despite the heat, and asks for two cones. Conscious of the fact Touko is most certainly upset, he makes sure that one of them is chocolate, the only flavor that she eats when depressed, and tries to ignore the teasing advice of the vendor, who unfortunately noticed what was going on.

He's blushing, he knows it, but his pride can go to hell and back for all he cared, so long as she was smiling by the end of the day.

With that thought, Cheren shoves some cash into the older man's hands, not bothering to wait for his change, and stalks over to his friends side.

"Care for some ice cream?" He asks, flopping down unceremoniously next to Touko, startling her out of her thoughts.

"…Ice cream?"

"Yeah, ice cream. You know that frozen treat that people eat when it's hot out? I hear it's pretty good." when several seconds pass without an answer he adds, "Come on, you've been sitting here for Arceus knows how long, you look like you need it. Not to mention I can't eat both of them." Undoubtedly she's suspicious of his plastered on smile and flimsy excuses, but he stubbornly refuses to accept anything but success.

Thankfully, Touko simply raises an eyebrow at him as she takes the cone from his outstretched hand, "You okay?"

"I'm fine."

Passive as ever, she lets it drop and begins eating the ice cream.

Once she's finished the cone he deems it an appropriate time to ask, "Now, care to tell me what's wrong?"

"...It's nothing." Well, at least she's willing to acknowledge something's up.

"Not to you."

Touko frowns and refuses to answer.

He doesn't say anything in return; he learned a long time ago that pushing her to talk about something uncomfortable, or anything really, takes a bit of time and a lot of patience. He wonders if this is why she has, on more then one occasion, come to him when something has been bothering her rather than Bel.

He has had to pretend he's not thrilled with this notion sometimes.

Eventually, wordlessly, Touko bends down and picks up a box at her feet. Placing it between them, she lifts the top off.

A pair of dancing shoes.

"... _Shoes_?"

"I wanted to give the Musicals a try." She gestures down to the shoes, "But I can't with these."

He could feel the beginnings of a headache.

"Why" Level, he needs to keep his voice level. Showing a temper in a situation like this is unbecoming for a young man, much less the future champion, "are a pair of high heels the reason you can't compete?"

He has to bite his tongue to prevent himself from adding, 'Why are you moping about shoes period?'

Touko shifts uncomfortably next to him, blushing, looking much more like a normal girl than usual.

"They have no support," She states. "Not to mention their balance stinks. I'm not even sure how many tries it took me to even stand in the stupid things. I can't break them in like a normal pair of shoes. I've _tried_. These," She snaps holding up one of the shoes by one of its glittery straps, "are the third pair I've bought this week because I keep breaking the heels when simply I try to walk in them much less work on the dance routine part with my pokémon." 

Oh sweet Meloetta…

Rubbing his temples, Cheren suppresses the urge to shout 'They're just shoes!' A decade of Bel worrying about her looks has left him jaded enough that this shouldn't be too hard to deal with, irritating and stupid though it may be.

"You were and probably still are the most coordinated and athletic girl back home, I know you could dance perfectly fine with a little practice. Besides not only is the focus of the musicals more on the music, it's your pokémon that will be judged, not you. You shouldn't have any worries given the way your mijumaru can move." He could easily remember how effortlessly it had put on an improvised performance with a piece of pretzel alone, a practiced routine to music would be nothing short of astounding, "So why is doing it in some gaudy thing like those so important?"

Touko didn't answer.

"Touko..." He pressed.

"Bel said she liked how I looked him them."

"...What?" He hissed.

"Bel and I met up and she dragged me off shopping when I told her I wanted to try the musical competitions. She picked out this whole glittery ensemble with the original pair of those shoes and said it'd be perfect for the performance. She was so happy I couldn't say no."

A pregnant pause followed.

He rolled his eyes. Of course, this was a result of the stupid 'but you look so pretty' guilt trip. He really should have known; Bel could wrap Touko around her little finger when she wanted to. He resisted the urge to groan in frustration, they just had to make it more complicated. Damn her, he didn't want to have to resort to anything drastic but there was only one way that he was certain that would lift her mood. "You know what I think you should do?"

"No, what should I do?"

"I think..." He pauses. There is a good chance she'll sock him for this when the shock wears off, but experience has taught him that desperate times often result in making seriously stupid choices and it's not like he actually has any better ideas. Touko is staring at him attentive, nervous, hopeful and simply adorable. He really needs to invest in a camera for moments like these.

"I think..." He begins again puling her to her feet and guiding her just so, "You should close your eyes and take a deep breath."

She tilts her head to the side and frowns, "Cheren..."

He grips her shoulders and leans in, his forehead pressing against the tip of her cap. Ignoring the whispers and stares from passersby '_Don't they have better things to do?_' and his own rapidly heating face, Cheren idly notes that he's grown taller than her in the time they've been apart. He tries no to relish too much in the simple joy of seeing Touko have to look up through her thick lashes to see him. Tightening his grip, he closes his own eyes and whispers, "Trust me"

Blinking rapidly, she makes a small noise, barely audible even despite the short distance and quietly says "Okay."

Touko closes her eyes.

Cheren opens his.

She inhales deeply.

He shoves her into the fountain.

Shocked gasps and yells from several observers accompany the loud splash as Cheren begins reciting every prayer he can remember. This isn't going to end well for him, he's well aware of it, but aside from giving up his shot at becoming champion he is more than willing to sacrifice everything for his friends. Providing one of them doesn't kill him for it.

Chuckling, he holds up his hand in a victory sign and smiles crookedly at her shocked expression when she finally pulls herself out. He can't help but add, "I think that counts as a win in my favor, wouldn't you agree?"

Mentally, he notes that she's so far ahead this kind of victory means nothing, but he'll take a point where he can get it. Besides, anything that'll distract him from the fact that he can now see her bra through her shirt is a good thing.

Touko's mouth opens and closes a few times, and he can't help but think of a magicarp before "You... jerk!"

She lunges at him, knocking him clean off his feet and sends them both tumbling off the cement pathway and into the grass.

They roll for a few seconds before finally skidding to a stop, both of them laughing like maniacs.

Shaking his head to rid himself of seeing double, Cheren adjusts his glasses, pointless really, they are now completely smeared with dirt and bits of grass, and stands up, turning his head slightly to look back at Touko. "Feel better?"

Touko pauses in pulling out her ponytail, the bouncy brown mass having been pulled violently out of shape in the fall, to look back at him. She is still soaking wet from the unexpected dip in the fountain, all of her clothes are clinging tightly to her body, and she's covered from head to toe in grass stains and clumps of dirt. Every last bit of her is utterly disheveled.

She looks utterly gorgeous.

Flushing, Touko grins brightly at him, "Yeah." 

"Good"

Smiling back, Cheren offers her a hand and pulls her up. They walk back hand in hand and giggling, resolutely ignoring the stares and cat calls, before sitting back down where their bags had been abandoned moments before.

"Care to explain why you tossed me into the water?" Touko asks, haphazardly putting her cap back on, after a moment.

"Back when we were little, running around the woods near our houses was always a surefire way to cheer you up. So I figured goading into doing something stupid might help." He gave a half-hearted shrug and begrudgingly added, "I couldn't think of anything else."

"Did you have to push me in the fountain to do it though?"

"No, I did that because it was funny."

Touko rolled her eyes. "Why am I friends with you again?"

"Because I'm awesome."

"No, no, that's not it."

A snort. "Well it **should** be."

"Of course."

Cheren can't think of anything more wonderful than sitting there and just continuing their sarcastic banter but the looming problem of the shoes is still there. '_Not to mention her shirt_,' he silently notes as he hears someone whistle at her, '_Damn perverts…_' so he makes the necessary sacrifice and switches the topic "Back to the issue at hand," or foot rather, "You know what I think you should do?"

"If it has anything to do with breathing or fountains," She states calmly, "I don't want to."

"Ha ha." He mocked lightly, "Seriously now."

Touko sticks her tongue out "Okay, seriously. What do you think I should do?"

"First," Cheren states, looking blatantly in another direction as he slides off his jacket and holds it out to her, "I think you should wear my jacket, because I can see through your top right now..."

Freezing, Touko looked down at her chest before promptly squeaking with embarrassment '_Since when did she _squeak_?_' and snatching the coat out of her old friend's hands.

"Tell me these things _sooner_."

"Sorry," he mumbled, blushing violently.

Another pause passed between the two.

"So... outside of protecting what little remains of my modesty, anything else you can suggest, oh wise one?"

He grinned wickedly at the words, "But of course, remember who you're talking to."

She gave him a wiry smile and punched him in the arm.

"**Ow!**"

"You deserved it."

"Not one that hard..." Cheren grumbles, rubbing his arm. He was definitely going to have a black and blue there later.

"Anyway..." He continued, picking up the heels and inspecting them. They looked more like they had been designed to impale someone rather than to be worn by a human. Scrapes and scuffs littered the bottom of the shoes when he turned them over to get a better look at the soles and Cheren chuckles to himself in realization "Second: I think if you're having that much trouble with these shoes ask Bel to help you find a better pair, she has more experience in fashion than you. Third: If you really don't want to give them up try practicing on a normal wooden floor. From the look of these things you've been trying to hike in them, haven't you?"

Touko mumbles something that vaguely resembled 'Route Ten does not count as hiking' but nods non-the-less.

"And yet you're complaining that they keep breaking on you."

"Shoes are meant to be walked in, by that reasoning I should be able to travel to some degree in these as well."

He blamed Bel for his ability to actually argue with Touko about something as frivolous as this.

Then again, he also blamed her for having to have such an argument with Touko to begin with.

"You really need to reevaluate your views on footwear."

"This advice coming from the town brain."

"Says the tomboy covered in mud."

"**That **is your fault."

Better to ignore the insults and focus on the issues at hand, "And fourth..." He swallowed the lump in his throat and stared resolutely at the sky, "You look fine without them."

Touko blinked at him in confusion. "What?"

Did she really need him to have to say it again?

"I said you're pretty as is." He adjusted his glasses, a nervous habit he developed as a child, in a vain attempt to hide his embarrassment, "You could go on stage right now and win. I'm sure of it. And I know Bel thinks so too, so don't worry if you can't use the shoes."

For a moment Touko didn't say anything, simply looking up at him with those big crystal blue eyes of hers. It was highly unnerving having her stare at him like that, her face blank and innocent and Cheren shifted uncomfortably under her gaze. Traveling alone was making him realize just how special the time he spent with Touko was to him. Bel too, but he would be lying if he didn't admit he missed the brown haired girl more and perhaps in a different sense than the blond. And being around her again seemed to bring about new ways for him to embarrass himself. Maybe it would have been better to keep his mouth shut.

Questioning whether it was a smart idea to simply bolt from his spot next to her, Cheren was brought out of his inner musings when he felt Touko wrap her arms around him.

"Wha-?"

"Thanks Cheren."

Oh...

He coughed. "No problem."

A warm silence enveloped the two.

"You owe me a new jacket though."

"Yeah well, you owe me some fresh dignity."

"And a new pair of shoes" He adds, pointing out the mud stains left on the heels from all the handling, "I sincerely doubt this will come out in the wash."

Touko takes the stilettos out of his hands and gives them a once over.

"No you don't."

"I don't?" He raised an eyebrow; they didn't look salvageable to him. "Really?"

She snaps them in half over her knee.

"Really."  


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_Fin._


End file.
